Foldable tubular package apparatus

ABSTRACT

A laminated settable tubular package is disclosed having integral end and body portions of the same material. The tubular package is formed with a process and apparatus which permits head and shoulder portions to be formed as a continuation of the tubular body through folding and shaping operations. The package is substantially impermeable and has particular use for containing toothpaste, essential perfumes, oils, solvents, flavorings, and other substances in which permeation of the atmosphere and/or volatization losses are problems.

United States Patet [191 Holouhek et al.

[451 Dec. 3, 1974 FOLDABLE TUBULAR PACKAGE APPARATUS [75] Inventors:George Henry Holoubek; David Edward Ales; Harland Elmer Harms; Warren E.Erickson; Maurice A. Ditmars; J. Keith Brookhart, all of Muscatine, Iowa[73] Assignee: Dart Industries Inc., Los Angeles,

Calif.

[22] Filed: Sept. 14, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 397,460

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.376,725, July 5, 1973, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 214,654, Jan.3, 1972, abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl. 93/36.8, 93/36.5 SS, 93/39.2, 93/39 C, 93/59 ES, 93/59 PL[51] Int. Cl B31b 1/32 [58] Field of Search 93/36.8, 36.5 R, 39.2,93/36.5 SS, 39.1 R, 39 C, 60, 59 PL, 59 ES, 44.1 R, 59 R [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,426,060 8/1947 Seybold 93/36.5 R

2,440,391 4/1948 Bogoslowsky 93/36.8 2,737,090 3/1956 Nordquist3,103,857 9/1963 Geisler et a1 93/39.2 3,568,577 3/1971 Voss et al.93/36.5 R X 3,778,321 12/1973 Abbott 93/36.8 X

Primary Examiner-Roy Lake Assistant Examiner-James F. Coan Attorney,Agent, or Firml(enneth J. Hovet; Leigh B. Taylor; Paul R. Wylie [5 7ABSTRACT A laminated settable tubular package is disclosed havingintegral end and body portions of the same material. The tubular packageis formed with a process and apparatus which permits head and shoulderportions to be formed as a continuation of the tubular body throughfolding and shaping operations. The package is substantially impermeableand has particular use for containing toothpaste, essential perfumes,oils, solvents, flavorings, and other substances in which permeation ofthe atmosphere and/or volatization losses are problems.

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sum mar 11 288 281 5 1 FlGr-ai FOLDABLE TUBULAR PACKAGE APPARATUS Thisis a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.

376,725 filed July 5, 1973, which is a continuation of application Ser.No. 214,654 filed Jan. 3, 1972, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The presentinvention is related to tubular containers and, more particularly, tostructural arrangement, method and apparatus utilized to producelaminated settable tubular packages which are substantially impermeableto volatile substances and atmospheric gases.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various packages have been manufacturedfor use in containing a great many products such as toothpaste or thelike which may be conveniently formed as tubular containers or packages.Various highly viscous products such as toothpaste may progressively besqueezed from such a package by foldably setting and rolling the packagefrom the enclosed end toward the dispensing end. Conventional prior artpackages utilized metal foil which, of necessity, was quite thick andexpensive but had the desirable characteristic of being foldablysettable. Such packages composed completely of metal foil wereunsatisfactory in some situations where the settable material of themetal foil became brittle and cracked and caused leakage of contentsfrom the package. Additionally, all-metal packages have been vulnerableto corrosion by their contents.

Various plastic packages have been used, but many of the all-plasticpackages allow oxidation of products therein and allow volatile fluidsof products to escape through the walls thereof and consequently anallplastic package may not serve to contain some products over aconsiderable periodof time. Furthermore, most plastic packages are notsettable but remain resilient so that they cannot be conveniently foldedand squeezed in such a manner as to progressively dispense material orproducts such as toothpaste or the like.

In accordance with prior art teachings, laminated tubular structureshave been fabricated of sheets of material having a plurality of laminawherein metal foil is bonded at its opposite sides to a polyolefinplastic material such as polyethylene or the like. These structures havea combination of desirable characteristics due to the fact that theintermediate metallic lamina serves as a barrier for volatile fluids andoxygen as well as to provide for a settable structure which may take aset when folded and hold the plastic lamina in folded condition such asis desirable in the progressive use of.a toothpaste tube or the likewhich is typically progressively folded as the contents are dispensedtherefrom. These structures also prevent corrosion of the metalliclamina since it is protected on both inner and outer sides by plasticmaterial. Furthermore, the outermost polyolefin lamina is readilyreceptive to printing for the purpose of applying labels, trademarks, orother indicia on the outer sides of the hollow tubular wall structures.

Accordingly, the laminated tubular wall structures include manydesirable characteristics and have therefore become quite versatile inthe packaging of a great variety of products which may be oxidizable,corrosive to metal, or which may have volatile materials which tend toescape through plastics; and further, these laminated materials arereadily mechanically settable and readily receptive to printing ofindicia on the outer sides thereof.

Moreover, these laminated wall structures are relatively economicalsince a relatively small amount of metallic foil may be used with one ormore thin economical lamina of polyethylene or the like on inner andouter sides of the metal foil.

The laminated structures including two lamina of plastic and one laminaof metal foil can be produced in sheet stock. Due to the relativethicknesses of the lamina and the requirement for accuracy relativethereto,

it has been found most economical to produce such materials in sheetstock and then to form the sheet stock into tubular wall structures bybutting the edges, or forming an overlapping seam, and then heating withor without the addition of other thermoplastic material to provide afused seam.

The prior art includes numerous patents disclosing laminated tubularwall structures with metal foil barrier lamina and wherein severalseparate barrier structures are required in the shoulder and neck areaof the prior art packages, and the production of such packages utilizingseveral barrier parts has been relatively complicated and costly.

When several metallic lamina barrier parts are utilized in the shoulderand neck area of a toothpaste tube or the like, it is difficult toproduce such structures accurately and to bond the various partstogetherin such a manner as to prevent oxidation of the product and to preventthe escape of volatile materials from products contained in thepackages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there isprovided a novel apparatus for producing a laminated and foldablysettable tubular package having a tubular body. The package includes alaminated tubular wall structure with an integral shoulder and neckstructure formed of folded portions which extend from the tubular bodythroughout the shoulder and neck area of the package to form arelatively thick shoulder and neck structure. At least three layers ofthe wall structure are disposed in the folded portions and in theshoulder and neck area of the package to thereby maintain continuity oflaminated plastic and metal lamina throughout the body, shoulder, andneck areas of the package.

The invention involves the progressive formation of an annular row ofcrimped portions adjacent the open end of a laminated tubular body andsubsequent positioning of the crimped portions into a row of acutetriangular folded portions, all disposed in a substantiallyfrusto-conical assembly of folds. In its preferred form,

the triangular folded portions are formed into an annular row in whichthe folded portions are all positioned, and preferably twisted androtated in the same general direction around the axis of thefrusto-conical assembly. Subsequently, the frusto-conical assembly isinverted into a frusto-conical recessed shape with a centralfrusto-conical generally tubular portion integral therewith and inopposed disposition. This latter operation is done preferably byconforming dies in opposition to each other. The frusto-conical assemblyserves to insure uniformity of the folds during the heading process and,in particular, the orientation and linearity of the inner fold lines.

The preferred system for applying a plastic covering to the tube head isthat disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,047,910 which is hereby incorporated byreference. In this system a hot disc of plastic is placed under pressureby means of dies at said frusto-conical recess portion and opposedfrusto-conical tubular portion of said folded portions. The hot plasticunder pressure is thermally and mechanically formed into an end portionwhich surrounds the shoulder and neck portion of the package of theinvention and wherein an orifice and means for providing a closure arethermally and mechanically formed in surrounding relation with the neckportion of the package by compression molding. Alternatively, a plasticend piece can .be applied by injection molding or other suitableprocesses.

The invention includes the use of unique dies and apparatus for theaforementioned crimping process as well as the twisting and foldingprocess, and for forming the inverted or recessed frusto-conical andopposed concentric frusto-conical configurations preliminary to theforming and fusion of the end piece or member on the shoulder and neckstructure formed by the folded portions which are integral with thetubular body structure of the package. The folded portions of thepackage of the invention at the shoulder and neck portions thereof,include at least three contiguous layers of the laminated wall structureso that the shoulder and neck portions of the package of the inventionare quite strong and rigid and extend such that there is completecontinuity of the plastic and metallic lamina throughout the body,shoulder, and neck areas of the package.

The uniform crimping and crimp twisting operations, in accordance withthe invention, are particularly important when pre-forming the shoulderand neck portions relative to a laminated tubular wall structure whichis initially formed of sheet stock and provided with a longitudinalseam. The preferred crimping and fold twisting operations, in accordancewith the invention, insure uniform crimping and folding of laminatedwall structures even though they have relatively thick, stiff seams, allof which allows all of the lamina, as well as the metallic barrierlamina, to extend uniformly and in continuity throughout the body,shoulder, and neck areas of the packageof the invention.

OBJECTS Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to providea novel laminated and foldably settable tubular package having alaminated wall structure including plastic and barrier lamina whichextends throughout the body, shoulder, and neck area of the package andwherein folded portions are uniformly disposed in the shoulder and neckarea of the package of the invention to provide for continuitythroughout the body, shoulder, and neck area of the plastic lamina aswell as the barrier lamina.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method andapparatus for forming a laminated and foldably settable tubular packagewhich may be effectively used for containing and dispensing a greatvariety of viscous products such as toothpaste or other materials.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus forforming a tubular package which is particularly adapted for accuratelyand uniformly crimping, folding, and forming a shoulder and neckstructure integral with a tubular body having a plurality of laminaoriginally formed from sheet stock.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel laminated andfoldably settable tubular package having specifically novel foldedstructure in the shoulder and neck areas thereof, which promotesfacility and economy of manufacture, reliability of manufacture and efficiency in the production and maintenance of a uniform and continuousmetallic barrier lamina and plastic lamina throughout the body,shoulder, and neck areas of a package and throughout all areas thereinwhere the productmay be contained in contact with the package.

Further objects and advantages of the product apparatus are methoddisclosed herein may be obvious from the following specification,appended claims, and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of anexemplary tubular wall structure.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 2-2 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the overall apparatus for making thetubular package of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a tube end straighteningassembly and a tubular blank walking beam conveyor.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a tube blank mandrel loadingdevice.

FIG. 5a is fragmentary sectional view of a tube positioning block and apusher mechanism for transferring the tubular blanks upon shapingmandrels.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a crimping die in theopen position with a mandrel loaded with a tubular blank in position forcrimping.

FIG. 6a is a fragmentary sectional view of a crimping finger of thecrimping die shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 7 is the die of FIG. 6 in the closed position performing a crimpingoperation on the end of the tubular blank.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the finger support frame of the crimpingdie shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the finger support frame shown inFIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the pivot support member of the crimpingdie shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of the pivot support member shown inFIG. 10.

FIG. 12. is a fragmentary perspective view of a crimped end of a hollowtubular wall structure after the operation shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary section view of a rotating cone assembly forfolding the crimped end of tubular blanks.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a tubular wall structure similar tothat shown in FIG. 12 but following the crimp twisting operation thereonby means of the rotating cone assembly shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view of a die and pressing assemblyto convert the frusto-conical shaped folded end sections shown in FIG.14 to the form shown in FIGS. 16 and 20.

FIG. 16 is an end view of the tubular wall structure as formed in thedie and pressing assembly set forth in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary sectional view of an alternative pressing diefor use in place of the assembly shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 18 is a front end view of an index head stripper assembly.

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary section view of the assembly shown in FIG. 18taken along the line 1919.

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary sectional view showing details of the headingmandrel with a shaped blank positioned thereon.

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a blank loaded headingmandrel during a plastic disc punching cycle.

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary sectional view of compression molding dies usedto form a plastic covered head on the tubular package of the invention.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of an acute triangularfolded portion of the preferred form of the invention which can form astructure extending throughout the shoulder and neck area of the packageof the invention.

FIG. 24 is an enlarged fragmentary axial sectional view of the completeshoulder and neck portions of the invention with a closure cap thereon.

FIG. 25 is an enlarged vertical fragmentary sectional view of theplastic covered head of the present invention taken along line 1616 ofFIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 24 butshowing a modification of the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION As shown in FIG. 1 of thedrawings, the invention comprises a hollow tubular wall structure 30.This hollow tubular wall structure 30 can be provided with alongitudinal seam 32 but also may be formed as a tube with a spiralseam. The seam can be fused lapped seam or one that has been folded andsealed or one utilizing a sealing strip or other adhesive material. Thespecific type of seam used will generally be dictated by the laminacompositions, their thickness, and the characteristics of the materialto be contained within the tubular package. The same criteria isapplicable in choosing a particular laminate for use in constructing thetubular package of the present invention. Any of the particularcompositions known and used in the art and any number of layers andcombination of metal foil, fiber, paper, and plastic material which arefoldable, settable, and substantially impermeable to the productscontained, are suitable for use as lamina in the present invention.Exemplary of suitable plastic materials are polyethylenes,polyvinylchlorides, polyvinylidene chlorides, polyvinyl acetates,polypropylenes, nylons, polyacrilonitrile, copolymers of the above,copolymers of ethylene and acrylic acid, and the like. The compositions,number of lamina, and their location with respect to each other informing the laminate used in the tubular package are not deemed to bepart of the novel aspects of the present invention. It is desirable,however, that an outer surface of the tubular body comprise a materialthat can bond together when the laminate is folded upon itself andformed into head and shoulder portions. It is also desirable that theouter surface be bondable to a plastic end piece which may besubseqently molded thereto. This is not critical, however, be cause amechanical interlock can resultwhen plastic material is forced upon thefolded portion during formation of the end piece.

An example of a three-layered laminate is shown in FIG. 2 of thedrawings wherein the wall structure of the tubular structure 30comprises an inner lamina 34, an intermediate lamina 36, and an outerlamina 38. The intermediate lamina 36 can be a metal foil such as leador aluminum, and the lamina 34 and 38 may be flexible plastic laminasuch as a thermoplastic polyolefin, as for example, polyethylene,polypropylene, nylon, polyurethane, polyester, or the like, as describedabove.

The lamina 34 is disposed on the inner side of the tubular wallstructure 30, while the lamina 38 is disposed on the outer side of thetubular wall structure 30, the inner side of the tubular wall structure30 being designated 40 and the outer side being designated 42.

The lamina 34 at the inner side prevents corrosive material fromattacking the metallic lamina 36 while the plastic lamina 38 on theouter side 42 is compatable with many materials used for printing ofindicia on the outer sides of packages such as toothpaste tubes or thelike.

The metallic lamina 36 is capable of acting as a barrier to the passageof fluids from a product at the inner side 40 and prevents the migrationof oxygen from the atmosphere through the lamina 34 and 38 and into theproduct on the inner side 40.

The plastic lamina 34 and 38 are p'liable but somewhat resilient, whilethe metallic lamina 36 is foldably settable and of sufficient thicknessrelative to the lamina 34 and 38 so that the tubular wall structure 30may be folded flat and then rolled up in folded condition in a mannercommon to the well known metallic tooth paste tube, so that the packageof the invention, as will be hereinafter described, may be used todispense contents therefrom in a manner similar to the well knownpractice of metallic squeeze tubes of the type that are commonly usedfor toothpaste. It will be appreciated, however, that since the plasticlamina 34 38 are on both inner and outer sides of the metallic lamina36, fracture of the metallic lamina 36 is not liable to occur and is ofminor importance since in the event such fracture does occur it willmost likely be in the area of tightly folded portions and will notpermit leakage due to the existence of the plastic lamina 34 and 38 atopposite sides thereof. It will be understood that in certain instanceswhere the foregoing considerations are not important, a laminate havingonly a single plastic layer bonded to the outer surface of a barrierlayer can be used. Moreover, laminates having additional layers ofmetal, paper, and plastics can also be used.

An overall apparatus for producing the package of the present inventionis shown in FIG. 3. A web of laminate material 50 is shown as beingformed into a continuous tube 51 and fed through traction means 42 to acutter assembly 54. The cutter assembly operates to cut-offpredetermined lengths of the tube 51 into blanks 56 as shown in FIGS. 1and 3.

The cut blanks drop into the concavity of a U-shaped block 57 which isorificed to allow a vacuum to be pulled in a manner to secure the blankfrom being dislodged. The block is pivoted to swing from the cuttinglocation towards the tubular blank transportation means shown in FIG. 3as walking beam 58. The block concavity tips toward the end groove ofthe walking beam as the vacuum is released so that the blank will rollonto the end grooves of the beam.

The walking beam includes a set of stationary grooved verticallyextending plates 62 and a set of matching grooved plates 64 which rotatein a vertical plane parallel to the stationary plates. The axis ofrotation is positioned such that the movable plates rise above the levelof the stationary plates, swing forward a distance equal to the nextline of grooves in the direction indicated by arrow A. In this manner,the blanks are intermittently and sequentially moved along successivegrooves of the beam.

Other conveying means may be used such as belts, screws, bracket systemsor the like. The walking beam conveyor, however, is especially adaptableto the continuous production of packages of the present inventionbecause the intermittent dwell periods between rotational movements ofthe blanks allows time for coordinating and carrying out the variouscrimping, folding, shaping, blank loading and unloading operations to behereinafter described.

Adjacent the walking beam is a plunger and wall assembly 59 forstraightening the ends of blanks 56 that may have been dented during theprevious tubing operations. This procedure is desirable so that theblanks may be subsequently loaded upon mandrels for the shapingoperations.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective fragmentary view of the end straighteningassembly with plungers 60 fully extended. The plunger head portions 68have an outside diameter imately equal to the inside diameter of thetubular blanks and are actuated in timed sequence with the movement ofblanks along the walking beam 58. They move outwardly into the ends ofthe blanks during the brief dwell period that the tubes are at restduring their intermittent movement along the walking beam.

To prevent the tube from being pushed off the beam by the plunger, 21wall 66 is positioned directly opposite the direction of axial movementof the plunger. In this manner the tapered head 68 of the plunger 60 canpush the tube against the wall and force open or deflect outwardly anycreases, wrinkles, or dents existing about the tube end.

The plungers 60 are preferably offset from each other along thedirection of blank movement to avoid disengagement problems anddisruption of the production sequence. They may be mechanically or fluidoperated by means commonly known in the art.

Referring again to FIG. 3, after passing the endstraightening assembly59, the blanks 56 continue moving on walking beam conveyor 58 toward afirst operating station 70. Operating station 70 generally includes ameans for transferring blanks from the conveyor to mandrels locatedabout a revolving carriage frame, a reciprocating forming assemblypositioned opposite the carriage frame, and a means for stripping theshaped blanks from the mandrels.

Beginning with a description of the means for transferring the blanks tomandrels, reference is made to FIG. 5 which shows a perspective view. ofthe preferred system for moving the blanks from conveyor 58 to shapingmandrel 72. As shown, the end of conveyor 74 is slanted downwardly withpositioning means 76 shown as a U-shaped block located adjacent thereto.The longitudinal axis ofthe block is oriented parallel to the axis ofthe conveyor grooves so that as the blanks oscillate out of the lastseries of grooves 77, they will be unloaded at end 74 and roll bygravity into the concavity of block 76. Immediately thereafter, transfermeans 78 operates to push the blank through guide orifice 80 ontomandrel 72 until it abuts stripper sleeve 82.

To help insure that the blank will become properly oriented when itrolls into the positioning means 76,

the concave block 76 is longitudinally grooved as shown at 84 in FIGS. 5and 5a and provided with vac uum orifices 86. The vacuum serves tosecure the blank and facilitate orientation during movement.

The transfer means 78 includes a splincd pusher head 90. The splines,shown as 88 in FIG. 5, are adapted to fit the grooves 84 so as to guidethe movement of the pusher head and engage the end of the blank andeffect the transfer thereof. Additionally, the head 90 is spring mountedon piston rod 91. It is desirable to have the head spring biased tocompensate for any variations in blank length and to insure abutment ofend 46 with sripper sleeve 82.

In the preferred embodiment, the blanks are loaded onto eight shapingmandrels referenced as numeral 72. The mandrels are positioned toproject laterally from a carriage frame 94 and are spaced equidistantfrom each other and extended from the cental axis of the carriage frameby equal radii. The mandrels have an inverted frusto-conical endstructure with a central pin for purposes to be hereinafter described.Each mandrel is equipped with a stripper sleeve 82 which is located at apredetermined position on the length of the mandrel and serves toestablish the distance the blank will extend beyond the end of themandrel. This distance is important in obtaining the proper crimp andfold characteristics in subsequent shaping operations.

The carriage frame 94 is mounted for rotation on a tubular support shaft96. The outer peripheral face of the frame is toothed to engage anindexing belt which, in turn, is driven by a commercially availableindexing unit and drive means. Various combinations of indexing unitsand pulley sizes may be used to effect the desired rotation and dwelltime depending on the type of tubular package being produced. In thepreferred embodiment, a four stop indexing unit is used with an indexperiod of and a dwell period of 240. Since the diameter ratio of thecarriage frame to indexing unit pulley is 2:], an 8-position indexing isobtained which corresponds to a stop and dwell period at the location ofeach mandrel on the carriage frame. See FIG. 18 for the relativelocations of each mandrel about the carriage frame.

The dwell period for the rotation of the carriage frame is coordinatedwith the dwell period of the walking beam conveyor by a central drivemeans and timer. This is convenient since it allows the blanks 56 to beloaded and unloaded to and from the conveyor without interruption.Preferrably, the conveyor height is commensurate with the blank loadingand stripping man drel indexing positions to allow for gravity movementwhere possible.

Directly opposite the mandrels of the carriage frame is forming assembly110. This comprises support means 112 upon which is mounted tube-endshaping assembly. The support means is fixedly attached to a secondshaft 114 which is concentric with, and extends through, tubular shaft96. One end of the shaft 114 is pivoted to a reciprocating means shownin FIG. 3 as 116. Actuation of the reciprocating drive means iscoordinated with the indexing dwell period, the tube end shapingassembly will be drawn toward the mandrels and mesh therewith. In thismanner the shaping assembly will engage the end 44 of the blanks 56 toperform the crimping, folding, and pressing operations to be hereinafterdescribed.

In the preferred embodiment, the shaping assembly involves threedistinct mechanisms each operable at a specific mandrel position asindicated in FIG. 18. A first means at mandrel position K is used tocrimp the end of the blanks, a second means at position .I twists thecrimps to fold them over, and a third means at position H involves diepressing the folded crimps to impart an inverted frusto-conical shape onthe end of the tube. It has been advantageously found that by impartingthe inverted annular crease across the folded crimps, linearity of innerfold lines extending parallel to the tubular axis throughout the head ofthe final package will be insured. This feature is highly desirable whenthe package is used to dispense viscous fluids such as glues,toothpastes, foodstuffs, grease and the like.

Referring now to FIG. 6 to describe the first means, thre is shown thecrimping means 120 of the present invention in its open position.Mandrel 72 is shown with the end 44 of blank 56 in position forcrimping. The crimper 120 is secured to the support means 112 by hub122. A support tube 124 is attached to the hub by retainer nut 126whereby crimper shaft 128 will slidably extend through both the nut andsupport tube.

Fixedly mounted on the end of the tube 124 is finger support frame 130.As best seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the frame has a central base portion 132with eight pairs of radially extending pivot mounts 136 for attachmentof finger elements 134. The mounts are spaced symmetrically about thecentral axis of the frame and project slightly above the central baseportion132. Alternating mounts each have a downwardly extending legportion 138 which provide a base connection for mandrel guide ring 140.

Between each pair of mounts is a pivotally connected finger element 134.Each element may be a generally flat U-shaped structure with a taperedand pointed lower inwardly directed end portion 135 for effecting theproper crease or crimp on the end of the blanks.

The mandrel guide ring is disc shaped with a circular opening 142therethrough. The opening is slightly enlarged at the entrance 144to'allow a smooth access with the mandrel and blank. To avoid theformation of unwanted wrinkles and to accurately locate the end orterminus 150 of the crimps, the guide ring includes a tapered annularextension 146. The guide ring has the effect of securing the upperportion 44 of the blank against movement when finger elements 134 arecaused to swing inwardly slightly above the top edge 147 of said ring.

Concentric with support tube 124 is pivot support collar 148 (see alsoFIGS. and 11). This collar is fixedly connected to shaft 128 by pin orbolt means 152 which extends through collar bore 153 and slot 154 of thesupport tube. The slot 154 is'dimensioned to allow unobstructed axialmovement of the bolt 152 as the collar reciprocates on the outer surfaceof the support tube 124 in correspondence with the shaft reciprocationwithin the tube.

As best seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, collar 148 includes eight pairs of linkpivot mounts 156 spaced symmetrically about the circumference thereof.Each pair is in longitudinal alignment with a corresponding pivot mount136 on frame 130. The mounts are positioned in two circumferential rowsaxially offset from each other and identified as l and II in FIG. 10.Each row has four mounts each with each mount being circumferentiallyoffset from each other to allow room for the placement of connectinglinks 160. Eight connecting links 160 are pivotally connected at eachmount 156 to each respectively aligned finger element 134 at aconnection point 161 radially offset in the direction of rotation ofsaid element. As such, the connecting links operate to transmit axialmovement shown as direction B in FIG. 7, resulting from thereciprocation of shaft 128 through point 161 on the fingers 134. Sincethe fingers are pivoted at frame mounts 136, which are radially offsetfrom link connection 161, the connection will convert the axial motionto rotational motion by lever-arm action of the upper leg 139 of finger134. In operation, an upward movement of shaft 128 will move pivotsupport 148 by virtue of pin 152. As support 148 moves upwardly, link160 will pull on finger 134 at connection 161 thereby causing rotationof finger 134 in the direction causing the finger elements to rotateshown as C in FIG. 7. This will cause finger end portion to deflect tubeend 44 and cause a series of eight symmetrically-spaced crimps about thetube as shown in FIG. 12.

The equal spacing of the finger elements 134 thereby provides for theevenly-spaced undulated crimped portions 162 at the open end 44 of blank56. The crimped portions are provided with terminous portions whichterminate on the tube at a location substantially coextensive with theupper end of mandrel 72 and top edge 147 of guide ring 146.

The crimped portions 162 will be generally held in the frusto-conicalform shown in FIG. 12 when one or more of the wall structure lamina ismetallic or other settable material. In the preferred embodiment, lamina36 is metallic with layers 34 and 38 being thermoplastic. To preventpossible rupture of the thermoplastic layers and to provide a sharpercrimp set at 164, it has been found desirable to preheat the open end 44prior to the crimping step. This may be conveniently accomplished with ahot air jet, radiant heating or the like.

Crimped portions 162 include radially extended singular portions 164which are twisted into complete folded portions with the second means ofthe forming assembly. As shown in FIG. 13, the second means comprises apair of opposing truncated cones mounted to freely rotate on axle 172.The conical truncated portions 174 of each cone are positioned to abuteach other to form a V-shaped surface for presentation to the crimpedend of the blank 56 shown in FIG. 12.

Axle 172 is connected to the end of yoke 178 at opposing arms 176. Theyoke is secured to spindle 180 which is journaled to the support means112. The entire assembly is rotated by a pulley 182 and belt drive meanswell known in the art.

In operation, the yoke spins while the support means reciprocatescausing the crimped blank, which has indexed from the crimping means tothe twisting means, to press against singular portions 164. Because ofthe spinning of the yoke and free rotation of the opposing conestogether with the reciprocation thereof, simultaneous axial andtrangential forces operate to twist the portions 164 into the arcuatefolds shown in FIG. 14.

When considering the structure of the hollow tubular wall structure 30,and particularly those having heavy seams such as seam 32, the operationof the dies and method disclosed in FIGS. 6, 7 and 13 is very important.Inasmuch as the seam 32 shown in FIG. 1 is relatively stiff compared tothe remainder of the tubular wall structure 30, it is important that thecrimping, performed as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and resulting structureas shown in FIG. 14, be precisely accomplished and uniformly finished toobtain a uniform result. Subsequently, it is important that all thecrimped portions be uniformly engaged by the cones 170 or by equivalentmeans for uniformly twisting and folding the crimped portions 162 and164 into the completely folded portions and particularly into an annularrow in which the folded portions all extend uniformly in the samedirection, and wherein these crimped portions become folded into acutetriangular portions with their apices generally terminating at about theterminus 150 on the perimeter of the hollow tubular laminated wallstructure. In furtherance of the above objectives, it is important thatfirst contact and inwardly forward motion of the fingers 134 to the tubebe at a location below the tube end 44, generally a distance equal to atleast half the tube diameter. The tube resistance to bending at thispoint maintains the folds under tension and, as the fingers move towardthe center, wrinkles are prevented thereby insuring uniform andrepeatable folds. I

As shown in FIG. 15, the crimped and folded end portion of the tubularwall structure disclosed in FIG. 14 is further formed by a third meansof the forming assembly. The third means comprises a pressing assembly184 having a central shaft 186 mounted within a piston 188. The shaft issecured to the piston by retainer means 189. The piston includes annularflanges 190 and 192 which are adapted to slidably engage the walls ofcylinder 194. The rings 190 and 192 include annular sealing gaskets 191for effecting a fluid tight seal between the piston and cylinder walls.

Cylinder 194 includes an annular recess 196 in communication with anexternal source of regulated fluid pressure. The recess 196 hasconnection ducts 198 which open into chamber 210 formed by the walls ofthe cylinder and piston flange 192. A fluid pressure medium such as air,nitrogen, water, hydraulic liquid or the like enters the chambers 210 bynipple 212, recess 196 and ducts 198 and exerts a force against thepiston flanges 192. The mount of pressure may be regulated by diaphragmor control valve means well known in the art. The piston will moveaxially within the constraints or clearances allowed by chamber 210whenever an opposite force overcomes the regulated fluid pressure.Typically 40-60 psig air pressure is used to offset the pressingpressure on the crimped and folded end section of blanks 56, however,this will vary depending on the materials comprising the wall structure30.

The lower portion of shaft 186 includes a spring retainer die part 220and guide member 214. Coupled to the lower portion by spring 215 andguide rod 217 is housing 216 which contains sleeve 218. The sleeve 218is held in the housing 216 by retainer ring 222. The die part isprovided with an annular frusto-conical recess 224 which is inverted andextends convergingly into the die portion from a peripheral end 226. Thedie portion 220 is provided with a central frusto-conical recess 228which is concentric to the inverted frusto-conical portion 224 and isadapted to receive the pin 73 of the mandrel 72. It is to be noted thatthe configuration of die part 220 is complementary to the end 75 ofmandrels 72 and operates as a male mold part in the pressing operation.

After the carriage means has indexed a blank containing mandrel from thefolding means to the third pressing means, the support means willreciprocate inwardly, as previously described and cause the end of theblank to be pressed and shaped to the configuration shown in FIGS. 16and 20. As shown therein, the folded portions 201 are deformed into thegeneral crosssectional shape set forth in FIGS. 20 and 21. Ends 203 ofthe folded portions 201 extend a distance about equal to a common planeof the apices 150. Duringv pressing, the die part 220 is allowed todeflect axially a small distance against the piston within the annularpressurized chamber 210. This is to compensate for laminate and machineirregularities and to insure that the proper shape will be imparted tothe folded end without tears or ruptures in the laminate. The guide rod217 and spring 215 allow a slight axial deflection of the housing andsleeve 218 so as to properly guide and align the blank and mandrel intothe female die 220. It is to be understood that there are at least twoefficacious purposes for forming the inverted annular frustoconicalshape to the folded tube end. One is to form an end surface capable ofreceiving a hot plastic disc during the subsequent preferred headingprocess. The second is to preset inner fold lines in the tube end alonglines parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube.

An alternative embodiment to the pressing assembly 184 is that shown inFIG. 17. This system requires a modified mandrel 221 in place ofmandrels 72. The mandrel 221 includes integral pin 224 and floatingspring biased mandrel head 223 which provides the axial compensation andback pressure supplied by the previously described fluid pressure-pistonsystem. The cross-sectional configuration of head 223 is the same as end75 of mandrels 72. v

In matching conformity with mandrel 221 is die member 225. This memberis simply a shaft having an end 227 that has an inverted annularfrusto-conical configuration with a central concentric frusto-conicalrecess 229 adapted to receive the pin 224 of mandrel 221.

The advantage of the alternative embodiment is that the head 223 willdeflect into mandrel housing 226 when head 225 pushes thereagainst. Thiswill operate to draw laminate structure 30 over the top edges of housing226 and effect a smoother terminus portion 150.

After the end folds have been inverted by the pressing assembly, thecarriage means indexes the blank to the unloading position shown at D inFIG. 18. At this point, the stripper sleeve 82 becomes activated andoperates to slide the shaped blank off the mandrel 72 or alternativemandrel 221 onto the walking beam conveyor 58 for movement to the secondoperating station.

As in the previous operation, tube stripping occurs during the indexingdwell periods by operation of an index head support shaft assembly shownessentially in FIGS. 18 and 19 and generally at reference numeral 230 inFIG. 3.

Cammed drive means operating in synchronization with the rotation of thecarriage means, causes the reciprocation of drive rod 232, as best seenin FIG. 19. The drive rod is slidably connected to a pair of parallelextending drive support rods 234 by slide block 236. Slide plates 238are affixed to opposite sides of block 236 for a purpose to behereinafter described. The drive support rods are mounted at one end bystationary base plate 240 and on the other end by housing clamp 241.

The stripper assembly includes a cam track ring 243 fixedly attached tothe stationary base plate 240. About the circumference of the base platerotates support ring 242. This ring is concentric with carriage frame 94and is connected thereto by a series of eight pairs of stripper supportrods 244 symmetrically spaced thereabout.

Slidably mounted on each pair of stripper rods is a stripper rod guide246. Fixedly secured to an upper surface of each guide is a cam follower248. The cam followers are adapted to fit within the channel 250 of thecam track and slide therein as the carriage frame rotates. Securedbeneath each rod guide 246 is a clamp 252 for fixedly holding stripperrod 254. Upon the end of each stripper rod is mounted a yoke 256 which,in turn, is attached to stripper sleeve 82.

The stationary cam track ring is provided with a slot at indexingposition D as shown in FIG. 18. In FIG. 19 the assembly is shown at thebeginning of the dwell period whereby drive rod 232 is in its retractedposition with slide plates 238 being parallel to the sides of the camtrack. In this position, cam follower 248 will be between the sideplates and the back side plate will oper ate to engage the cam followerwhen the drive rod 232 commences forward movement. Since the camfollower is affixed to the rod guide 246 which also fixedly holdsstripper rod 254, the assembly will move in unison. The drive rod willbe directed and held in alignment by stationary drive support rods 234and similarly, the stripper rod will be guided and maintained inalignment by stripper support rods 244. The yoke 256 transmits the axialmovement of rod 254 to the sleeve 82 which slides the blank completelyoff mandrel 72. The blank is allowed to fall a short distance by gravityinto the grooves 77 of walking beam 58. Both the extension andretraction of the drive rod occurs during the dwell period so that theslide plates 238 can be in position to engage the next cam follower.

After being formed in accordance with the foregoing, a head piece isintegrally applied to the blank by an apparatus and process somewhatsimilar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,047,910 to Myron H. Downswhich is herein incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the headpieces can be applied by in-situ injection molding, fusing of previouslyinjection molded head pieces, or other compatable processes.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the shaped blanks move onthe walking beam conveyor to the second operating station showngenerally by reference numeral 260. A predetermined number of blanks arepushed off the walking beam by off loading means 262 and accumulate ontoa tilt-up plate 264. The plate 264 has a series of longitudinal groovesadapted to hold each of the blanks. The plate has an opposite matchinggrooved plate 266 mounted stationary on the base frame 269 of the secondoperating means. The plate 264, filled with blanks 56, tilts upwardly toclose with the plate 266. Pushers 268 subsequently operate to transferthe blanks onto heading mandrels shown generally as 270 in FIG. 20. Ithas been found desirable to include vacuum orifices in the plate 264 toprevent the blanks from sliding out of position during the tilt-upoperation.

Each heading mandrel includes a heading mandrel compression spring 273extending between shaft cap 275 and shaft guide 277. Spring 273 operatesto retract shaft 272 after which is slidably mounted in holder 274 uponcompletion of the molding cycle. Holder 274 is secured to fixture topplate 276 which operates to vertically raise and lower each set ofmandrels. Head 278 fixedly connected to shaft 272 is an invertedfrustoconical shape and includes a central spring loaded insert 280. Theinsert is adapted to move into the generally frusto-conical tubularportion 279 of blank 56 and insure that the end orifice of the blanksformed during the first station shaping operation will remain openduring the punching cycle to be hereinafter described.

Referring generally to FIG. 3, the second operating station includes arotatable frame upon which is mounted four fixtures of six mandrelseach. It is to be understood, however, that any number of mandrels maybe mounted thereon. Each fixture is symmetrically located on straightlines forming a square about a central axis and each'locationcorresponds to a step in the heading process. After the mandrel loadingstep described above has been accomplished, the rotatable frame rotatesto locate the mandrels in position for carrying out the punching cycle.

Referring now to FIG. 21, the fixture lowers so that the shaped end ofthe blanks are inside and approximately flush with the bottom annularcutting edge of punches 285. A resilient pad 287 is pushed up in thedirection shown by arrow E in FIG. 21 to force the punch 283 through aweb 286 of hot plastic material which is conveyed under the punch bybelt 294. A circular disc 288 of hot plastic is left' adhering by theheat thereof to the apices 205 terminus and ends 203 of blank 56. Thefixture is lifted and subsequently rotated 90 to the compression moldingposition.

As shown in FIG. 22 the mandrel 270 with head 278 is placed in a headforming die 290 and moved in the direction of arrow F. The spring loadedinsert 280 moves against air biased pin 292 which slidably extends intothe mold cavity 293. The pin is maintained in the cavity during themolding cycle by fluid pressure transmitted through ducts 289 againstpiston 294. The outer diameter of rim 292 forms orifice 324 in the head310. Simultaneously, the hot plastic 288 is forced under pressure intothe mold cavity 293 which generally conforms to the shape of theshoulder 281 of mandrel head 278. The cavity 293 is provided with threadforming portions 295 surrounding the neck area of the package of theinvention. The neck is formed from the frustoconical tubular section ofthe folded portions 201 whereby the spring loaded insert 280 causes theportions 20] to become a straight wall tubular neck portion 316 as shownin FIG. 24 of the drawings.

When the head 278 at its shoulder 281 forces the folded portions 201 toconform therewith, the triangularity of the folded portions are deformedtherearound and become more nearly parallel in this area, and the foldedportions 201 are then substantially as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25. Thefolded portions-201 are shown on enlarged scale in FIG. 23.

It will be appreciated that when the hot plastic 288 is formed underpressure onto the outer side portions of the folded portions 201, theoutermost plastic layer 38 becomes plastically bonded to the plastic 288and that it is caused to flow into the general cross-sectional shape asindicated in FIG. 24, to form an end member having a shoulder coveringportion 312 and a neck surrounding portion 315 comprising helical screwthread portions 320 formed by the screw thread forming portions 295 inthe die 290. Other neck configurations may be formed, such as flanges,depending on the type of closure means being utilized.

The pin 292 includes a recess 299 to provide a cutting surface for disc288 and projects into the mold cavity and abuts against end portion 297of insert 280. The insert is of greater diameter than pin 292 so thatwhen it abuts end portion 297, an annular offset portion 317 is formedin the orifice 324 of neck 315. The regulated air pressure (generally30-80 psig) on the pin 292 serves to maintain its projection into themold cavity and to displace insert 280 into a retracted position withinhead 278. The diameter of insert 280 forms inner surface 316 of neck 315and pin 292 forms inner surfaces 319 of neck 315. The top surface of diepart 29] serves to form end cover portion 298 which is disposed over theends 203 of the folded portions 201.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that all of the folded portions 201can be finally pressed tightly together and due to the heat of theplastic 288 and/or the pressure of the compression molding force, thefolded portions 201 are contiguously folded together so that the endsection 310 of blank 56 is efficiently bonded at its shoulder portion312 with a shoulder area 314 of the folded portions 201 this shoulderarea being integral with the hollow tubular wall structure 30 and alsointegral with the inner cylindrical neck portion 316 hereinbeforedescribed. Heat from external sources can be applied to effect suchbonding, if desired. It is further contemplated that plastic materialflows about the edges of the folds thereby forming mechanical bondingwith the folded portions.

Subsequent to the compression molding step, the frame rotates thefixture 90 to the unloading position. At this point a clamping meansraises to encompass the threaded neck portion within an opened clampingmechanism (not shown). The mechanism forms grooved orifices sized toengage the threads of the neck when closed to thereafter pull the tubesfrom the mandrels anad deposit them in packing means or on a conveyorfor subsequent capping.

As shown in FIG. 23, each triangularly folded portion at its apex 205generally coincides with the perimeter of the hollow tubular wallstructure 30. Opposite U- shaped folded edge portions 326 and 328 aredisposed at acute angles to each other extending from apices 205 in adiverging relation to the divergent ends 203 of the folded portions 201.

A closure cap 318 is engaged with the screw threads 320 as shown in FIG.24, and the gasket 322 is held in the cap 318 over the dispensingopening .324 to prevent the escape of materials from the interior of thepackage of the invention. The use ofa cap liner, however, is optionaland frequently plastic caps do not require such.

With reference to FIG. 25, the U-shaped folded diverging edge portions326 and 328 can be seen and it will be apparent that each U-shapedfolded edge portion 326 is in close proximity to an adjacent folded edgeportion 328, the edge portion 328 being on the outer sides of the neckstructure while the edge portions 326 are on the inner side of thestructure, as shown best in FIGS. 23-25 of the drawings. It is to benoted that depending on the diameter of orifice 324 and head 315 plusthe type and thickness of laminate structure, the edge portions mayoverlap each other to provide additional strength to the end section310.

The folded portions 201, being of at least three layers of the laminatedwall structure, reinforce the shoulder portion 314 and the inner neckportion 316, as shown in FIG. 24, and provide a mechanical arrangementby means of which all of the lamina 34, 36, and 38 extend in completeuninterrupted continuity throughout the tubular wall structure 30, theshoulder structure 314 and the hollow inner neck structure 316. Themanner in which these folded portions 201 are disposed permits them tobe formed without rupture and to be formed even though the seam 32 isrelatively thick in one peripheral area of the hollow tubular wallstructure 30. Additionally, it will be observed from FIG. 25 that eachlayer of each folded portion 201 contains three lamina, namely, thelamina 34, 36, and 38. It will be noted from FIG. 25 that the lamina 38is folded against itself and is disposed generally at the outer side ofthe neck structure while the lamina 34 is disposed generally at theinner side of the neck structure and is also folded against itself sothat the folded portions 201 are at least nine laminations thick and arevery rigid, and since all of the plastic lamina fold against each other,pressure and heat provides for good bonding of these folded portionstogether when the hot plastic disc 288 is bonded to the folded portions201 in a manner as shown in FIG. 22 of the drawings, and as hereinbeforedescribed.

In the modification as shown in FIG. 26, the hot plastic disc 288 is notformed onto the neck and shoulder structure of the invention, but ratherthe folded portions 201 only are used to form' a modified neck structure330. This neck structure is provided with helically rolled screw threadshaving helical outward protrusions 332 and correspondingly intermediaterecess portions 334 on the inside of the neck structure 330.

It will be appreciated that when the folded portions 201 are formed intohelical screw threads 332,.the laminations in the folded portions, asshown in FIG. 24, are

formed into a very rigid neck structure capable of holding a cap 336 anda gasket 338 therein, to enclose contents within the interior of thepackage of the invention. To form such a product, it can be advantageousto use relatively thicker layers of metal and/or plastic and to applyheat at various stages of the process to provide, for example, thermallyset crimps or folds.

The lamina 34, 36 and 38 are thin structural layers of plastic andaluminum or lead foil, and as a specific example, the lamina 34 and 38may be 0.005 to 0.006 inches thick, while the lamina 36 may be 0.001inches thick and may be made of metal foil such as aluminum or lead. Thelamina 34 and 38 may be made of a polyolefin material such aspolyethylene or the like; however, the foregoing materials anddimensions may be varied according to the size and other characteristicsof the package to be produced.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the three-to-oneratio of the folded portions relative to the laminated sidewall portionsof the package provides for a fairly substantial ratio of thicknessand/or strength

1. In an apparatus for producing a foldably settable tubular containercomprising: a first shaft; a carriage means mounted on said first shafthaving arranged thereon a plurality of mandrels adapted to receivetubular blanks; a second shaft adjacent said first shaft; a formingassembly positioned on said second shaft adjacent said carriage meansfor cooperating with said mandrels to shape an end of said tubularblanks, said forming assembly including a first means for crimping theends of said blanks, a second means for twisting the crimped ends ofsaid blanks, and a third means for pressing the twisted crimped ends ofsaid blanks into an inverted frusto-conical shape including a die memberhaving an end portion that has an inverted annular frusto-conicalconfiguration with a central recess and a matching mandrel die headhaving a central pin with an annular recess about the base of said pinin substantially matching conformity with the end portion of said diemember.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said forming assembly isfixedly attached to said second shaft including reciprocation meansconnected to said second shaft for causing said forming means toreciprocatingly contact and shape the end of said blanks.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2 wherein said first shaft includes means forrotating said first shaft and said carriage means through a plurality ofpredetermined positions in sequence with the reciprocation of saidforming means.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 including means adjacent saidcarriage means for loading said blanks upon said mandrels comprising:positioning means disposed in alignment with the longitudinal axis ofsaid mandrels and transfer means adjacent said positioning means forurging said blanks from said positioning means upon said mandrels. 5.The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said positioning means includes agrooved concave block adapted to guide said blanks upon said mandrels,said transfer means including a pusher adapted to engage the end of saidblanks for movement thereof.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4 including meansfor removing said blanks from said mandrels comprising: a slotted camtrack means located on said carriage means, a stripper assembly actuatedby said cam track and located in juxtaposItion therewith, said stripperassembly including a stripper sleeve positioned about said mandrels forslidably removing said blanks upon actuation of said stripper assembly.7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first means comprises a crimpershaft reciprocably mounted on said forming assembly; a frame connectedto said forming assembly and adapted to slidably receive said shaft,said frame having a plurality of finger elements pivotally mountedthereon; link elements pivotally connecting said support means to saidfinger elements with the point of connection to said finger elementsbeing radially offset from the point where said elements are pivotallymounted on said frame whereby axial movement of said support meanscauses said link elements to rotatably move said finger elements aboutthe point of connection of said frame.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7wherein said crimper shaft extends through a support tube secured tosaid forming assembly, said pivot support means being slidably mountedthereover.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 including a mandrel guide ringaffixed on an end of said support tube for guiding said mandrels intoposition for crimping the end of sleeves mounted thereon with saidfinger elements.
 10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said second meanscomprises a spindle rotatably mounted on said forming means, saidspindle having a yoke means attached to an end thereof with a pair ofopposing freely rotatable truncated conical members mounted adjacenteach other on the end of said yoke.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10including drive means connected to said spindle for effecting therotation thereof.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said die memberis affixed to piston means slidably mounted on said forming assemblywith a spring-biased housing attached to an end thereof, said housinghaving said die member mounted therein.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12including means to maintain a fluid pressure force against axialmovement of said piston means.